[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 127

Phew-! Crack! Thud! Woosh!

With a single stomp, the skull is crushed, the head shatters under the restraining rod, and brain matter flies into the sky. A modern iron spear brutally pierces the torso, and when a blade with an edge sweeps across the face, the body collapses helplessly.

The stairwell was stained all around with rotting flesh and blackened bl**d.

We killed the zombies in the stairwell and moved on to B1, the underground parking lot.

“Ha… ha…”

“Wow, this is… really tough?”

“There’s a reason why the stagnant waters gear up lightly.”

Before opening the iron door leading to the underground parking lot, we took a brief rest. Repeating movements that were difficult even without equipment became exhausting when done while carrying ammunition, grenades, and firearms.

Catching our rough breaths, Leclerc spoke.

“But this is more fun than I expected! The implementation is really well done, especially the tactile sensation.”

Fun. The biggest element of a game and the ultimate goal of enjoying a game is fun.

Yeah, Living Dead was definitely fun.

At first, there was a thrill in dodging zombies and fleeing. Hiding behind cover and waiting for the zombie to pass or barely escaping the zombie’s line of sight was exhilarating. That thrill couldn’t compare to the games of tag we used to play as kids.

It was a difference in weight. The method was the same as tag, but this was about life and d*ath.

Of course, you don’t d*e for real, but the emotions felt real enough due to the realism.

Next was the thrill of killing zombies and the sense of omnipotence. Moving my body as I imagined and systematically taking down zombies. This was a pleasure qualitatively different from desktop games.

Desktop games have constraints on what players can do. Players have no choice but to repeat certain movements, so they control the character rather than move themselves. In simple terms, the immersion is lower. That’s why the lack of tactile sensation is filled with visual and sound effects.

But here, everything is real. I could freely execute the movements I wanted, and the sights I saw and sounds I heard made the sensations feel realistically immersive.

The level of immersion was almost indescribable.

“At first, it was a bit scary, but it’s getting more fun. Refreshing… and exhilarating. But more than anything, it’s thrilling!”

The game fundamentally revolves around life-and-d*ath decisions, so fun is inevitable.

Even Ji-hyun, who was treated as the weakest link, said something like that, so everyone acknowledges the game’s quality.

But why am I not considered weak like Ji-hyun, even though I’m a woman?

I don’t expect special treatment just for being a girl, but I felt it was unfair to be assigned to the crucial last position while Ji-hyun got to lead.

“So why am I in the last position? There’s Enrique and Leclerc too.”

At my sudden question, the three men looked at me with blank expressions, then offered their opinions one by one.

“Because you’re the older sister.”

Hey, Won-jin. That’s a pretty thoughtless response.

“Um… since you’re the same driver as me, I thought you might do well in this area?”

Because I’m a driver… Well, I do have good athletic ability, so that makes sense. You’re safe, Leclerc.

Following Won-jin and Leclerc, Enrique wrapped it up with,

“Reliable.”

“Puh…”

Reliable? Being called reliable at nineteen, a blooming girl! I prayed to Yooihyun, the original owner of this body, with a guilty heart.

Instead of receiving the treatment I deserved as a beautiful girl, I’m sorry for being exposed in the most dangerous place. And I prayed another prayer.

Next time, not zombies, but definitely a b*llet into the heads of those cocky engineers, Won-jin and Enrique.

“Remember? You need to follow in a straight line. Don’t forget to look for the 7777 license plate.”

Goddess of luck, please help us.

Taking a deep breath, we flung open the doors to the underground parking lot.

Clang-!

Even though we opened it as carefully as possible, the sound echoed due to the nature of the enclosed space.

A vast space, about the width of a sports field, unfolded before us.

Yet, there were still no signs of life. The GPS on my wrist wasn’t functioning underground, so I couldn’t gauge the number or position of the zombies. Clinging to the right wall, we moved forward only relying on the intermittent light created by sparks from a burned-out light bulb.

Pitter patter…

“…….”

“…”

“…!”

We couldn’t help but fall silent. Every time the light flickered, strange shapes of zombies were writhing between the cars, revealed by the eerie chill that blew in.

The hulking Helser with muscles ready to burst, the slender Speeders with long claws, and the Bats hanging upside down from the ceiling, cocooned in their enormous wings…

Special zombies that seemed unfazed by a few bullets were scattered about.

“Use the flashlight… cover it with your hand… just enough to let a little light seep through…”

I wished we had night vision goggles, but lacking equipment due to the lack of supplies, we had no choice but to risk our lives by switching on the flashlight to identify the license plates.

Turning on the flashlight in front of zombies that are sensitive to light and sound felt like we were praying for them to come and k*ll us.

Moving stealthily, crawling on all fours to find the numbers.

Crack-! Crunch!

The sound of something crumpling underfoot, whether it was a can or a thin sheet of metal, literally shattered the silence. It probably wasn’t just my imagination that the sound felt particularly loud.

Action ceased, and silence filled the air.

Soon, the groans of zombies filled the underground parking lot.

“Gyaaaah-!!!”

“Grrrroooar!”

“Graar! Grrr!”

The dead eyes of the zombies momentarily visible amidst the sparks were all turned toward us. Won-jin, with the flashlight on his shoulder, raced ahead while firing his shotgun forward.

“sh*t… run! Check the license plate while keeping up!”

The chase began.

Bang-! Bam-! Rattle rattle! Each gunshot brought down zombies, but more zombies filled the gaps. Even the fallen ones would usually stand up after a few seconds, screaming.

“I’m reloading!”

“I’m reloading too!”

“I’ll help. The ones reloading check the license plates!”

We shot at zombies while continuously running and checking the license plates. If there was any silver lining, it was that the cars were effectively blocking the attacks, making defense easier relative to the number of zombies attacking.

Considering the situation, it was close to just surviving rather than real defense.

I shouldered my MP5 submachine g*n.

“Whew… huff!”

Taking a deep breath to the depths of my lungs and exhaling, I then held my breath.

Three Speeders, skinny and running toward us from behind. Five Bats repeatedly slamming against the ceiling. Two Helsers trying to block the passage by pushing a car.

Priority order: Helser, Speeder, Bat. There are ten enemies, and I have 30 rounds. It was overwhelmingly insufficient ammunition, but I would do my best.

I closed my right eye and began to sh**t.

One.

Bang! Bangbang-! I spent four rounds to take down one Helser that had been pushing a truck. Normally, it wouldn’t have died, but all four shots hit the head, so the Helser slumped down.

Two.

I spent ten rounds to finish off the remaining Helser. The Bats had blocked my view of the Helser, aware of my ammo count.

Three.

The Speeders, gliding in with skater-like grace, were a threat in themselves. Their incredible speed made it difficult to line up sights. There wasn’t enough ammo to take them down with headshots.

If we can’t k*ll them, at least we can try to stop them. It didn’t matter if it didn’t k*ll; I went all out to destroy their mobility by shooting at their legs.

Four… there was no possibility of completing that.

“Gyaaaah!!!”

“Caw!”

Five Bats were right in front of me.

Just as I sensed d*ath.

“Duck!”

Boom-!!!

A black shape the size of a baseball flew in, and an explosive sound accompanied a bright flash of light. It was a grenade. The Bats were torn to shreds, rolling over the truck.

I reflexively ducked and barely escaped the explosion radius.

A ringing in my ears echoed lightly, but this level wasn’t too severe. Normally, the gunfire alone would have caused more ringing, but since this was a game, it wasn’t as intense.

I gathered myself and moved forward, changing magazines. The immediate threat had been cleared, but zombies were gathering in droves toward the source of the noise.

“Why can’t we see any cars! Isn’t it supposed to be on the other side?”

“I don’t know! It’s random! If it’s not here, we have to d*e!”

The bloody battle with my back against the wall seemed endless. We couldn’t stop until we found the car, but when that would happen was uncertain.

So, after what felt like five minutes but seemed like thirty,

“I found it! Just three more trucks in front!”

The car we had been searching for came into view. It was a heavily armored vehicle, with the 7777 license plate, reinforced with steel and various saw weapons.

It felt like if I reached out, hope would be within my grasp.

“I’m out of ammo!”

“I’m out of handgun ammo, this is my last magazine…”

We had reached this point with empty weapons. Everyone except me and Won-jin had expended ammo due to their low accuracy.

“Take this!”

I passed my g*n and ammunition forward. It would certainly be more efficient for me to use it, but the others would be less effective if they used melee weapons.

Having passed my weapons, I took the last resort, grabbing the sword. The long, smooth blade shone brilliantly in the flashlight.

A Japanese sword, a katana. The epitome of the dream for Living Dead users. Though criticized as the worst weapon against fast-moving zombies, it guaranteed style if handled well, making it a useless weapon.

“Grurrrk! Gruk!”

The final struggle began. I focused all my nerves on raising the sword. I had seen the beginner’s guide on slashing and stabbing, and the system forcibly assisted my movements, so there would be no problem.

“Ugh!”

I struck down hard from above, cutting diagonally from the Speeders’ shoulder down to its body. It didn’t make a sound as it fell dead. It was only possible because of its thin build.

Attacks came relentlessly.

“Gyaah!”

A Bat dropped from the ceiling, aiming its claws at my shoulder. As I read the movement and struck the claws away just as they were about to dig in, the sound of the sword clashing against the solid claws rang clearly.

I was defending well, but suppressing them wasn’t possible.

Without a g*n, killing became that much more difficult.

Finally, I reached the car.

“Gyaaaaah!!!”

The Helser, boasting a size far superior to the others, charged toward us. I emptied the remaining rounds, but it protected its head with its hands.

With its huge bulk, its speed was steadily increasing. It had started with a sluggish charge, but now it was coming in a booming rhythm.

Boom-!!!

The end of the grueling marathon was anticlimactic. It crushed us along with the car, killing all five of us.

[You have died.]

[Your team has been wiped out.]

It was a clean d*ath with no room for excuses.

* * *

“I think we can seriously make it to the end this time… The last game overlapped too much with other users’ routes.”

“Yeah. Let’s only eat safe supplies. We need to try the vaccine at least once.”

“Yeah! If we can stealthily avoid other users, it seems doable!”

The sounds of Leclerc, Enrique, Won-jin, and Jihyun echoed into the cold night air. Everyone was passionately sharing their opinions.

After facing d*ath crushed by a Helser, we had fallen into the charm of Living Dead.

As I enjoyed the lively and humane discussions about how to k*ll zombies and users, I suddenly recalled something I had forgotten.

“Oh, Kiwich…! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Kiwich. The slogan that the viewers often chanted, calling for games other than For One.

The game was fun, and the chemistry among the team members was fantastic. Considering it suitable for broadcasting, I approached them to open the discussion.

Leclerc wouldn’t have any problem, but the other three were more like regulars, so I had to ask for their understanding.

“Hey, if it’s okay, can we turn on the broadcast? I think it’ll be fun if we do!”

I thought they might refuse due to pressure from the potential number of viewers, but the responses came back positively.

“I’m fine with that. I’m a bit of an attention seeker.”

Won-jin had that kind of statement typical of him.

“My gameplay being watched by thousands… That sounds fun.”

Enrique felt the same.

“I’m in too! If we broadcast, my mom and dad can watch.”

Jihyun agreed with great filial piety.

“Then I’ll start the broadcast?”

Having gotten everyone’s consent, I immediately turned on the broadcast.

The title was as provocative as possible.

[★☆★☆★☆★☆Jihyun Lee and Leclerc Collaboration (Not that collaboration)★☆★☆★☆★☆ feat. Living Dead]

The beginning of the Living Dead streamer.